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Persephone Buckthorn
Persephone "Percy" Buckthorn is a halfling cleric of Hermes and "freelance entrepreneur" (read: semi-professional con-artist). Biography Early life Persephone knows very little about her earliest childhood. She doesn’t remember having parents or a family. Her earliest childhood memories are sleeping by the hearths of inns around the town of Flowerfen and living on scraps and the kindness of strangers. She was in and out of poorhouses and orphanages, but always ultimately depended on herself. When she was very young she was recruited as a pickpocket for a roguish group of troubadours. They taught her how to dazzle and distract, and she was eventually able to earn a living for herself. She started working as a fence, trading, moving and selling “suspect” goods, becoming an expert charlatan. In Persephone’s eyes, money means safety. Having a roof over your head and knowing when your next meal is coming, and being able to think about people other than yourself. Even though she started earning a decent living, she never forgot how it felt to have nothing, and she was always afraid to go back to that. When she was a young(er) woman, she became involved with moving some merchandise for a big operation for the local thieves guild. The operation was months underway, and even though Percy was an external contractor, she was involved from the start and spent a lot of time with the key players. That’s where she met a thief with the codename Crocus (Krokus). Crocus was a talented young half-elf woman, the rising star in the ranks of the thieves guild. The two grew close and eventually had a romantic relationship. At a critical point during the operation, something went wrong. Unbeknownst to Percy (she was only informed on a need-to-know basis), the intended target was a corrupt and wealthy baron, who had a choke-hold on the black market. The thieves guild had been trying to outmanoeuvre him for years, to diminish his influence and make room for more profitable trade. The baron’s people started to catch on to Crocus’ activities, and she noticed them noticing. Knowing that the jig was almost up, she reached out to Percy for help. They decided to quit town together. Percy forged all the necessary documentation and went to the place that they had agreed to meet up before running. Crocus never showed up. Who did show up however, was a group of the baron’s guard, who made it very clear that their boss would not tolerate this kind of behaviour. Percy narrowly escaped with her life and fled Flowerfen, never to return. She never learned what had happened to Crocus, but assumes her dead. Knowing that the baron and his people knew who she was now, and knowing that the thieves guild probably wouldn’t be very happy that she screwed them over and ran and probably got one of their people killed, Persephone started running. She forged new identities on top of new identities, kept moving, constantly looking over her shoulder. Finding Faith When she had been running from everything for a year, on the anniversary of her escape, Persephone broke down. She grieved for Crocus, she grieved for her old life, she grieved the fact that she was never going to feel safe again. Then Hermes came to her. He laid a comforting hand on her shoulder, and then gave her a hard wake-up-slap. Telling her to get it together, become her new self, to start her new life. Hermes decided that she would be a perfect agent for his particular brand of goodness and chaos, and gave her purpose. He guided her to her new life, as he is known to guide lost souls. Persephone took up her new mantle of Cleric of Hermes, doing good, playing tricks and spreading benevolent acts of chaos, trying to make a pretty buck in the process. She has been on the move for years now, but she is no longer running. She is travelling. Worship of Hermes Despite not seeming like the most pious of people, Percy actually follows the religious teachings of Hermes pretty, well, religiously, and strives to exercise the domains of her deity and act as a hand in his multiple divine roles. Hermes is the God of Roads and Travel as well as the Protector of Travellers. As well as being practical for a traveller like Percy, she also travels to meet other travellers and, if possible, heal and aid them when needed. She likes the role of kind and mysterious stranger. Hermes is also a Psychopomp, the guide of the dead to the afterlife. Because of this, in conjunction with his protection for travellers, Percy tries to help people who are running, who need a second chance, just as Hermes guided her in her flight, helped her towards her new life. This is why she volunteers her forgery skills to The Golden Hope, to their witness protection program specifically. Everyone deserves a chance at a new life in one form or another. Hermes is also the God of Gain or Profit – and is therefore a god of both merchants and thieves. This is perfect for Percy’s “entrepreneurial lifestyle”. She looks for ”business opportunities” wherever she can, and is not too shy to bend societal conventions of “legality” a little bit in pursuit of fortune. After all, how illegal can it really be if a God is cheering you on from a cloud somewhere? Personality and Beliefs Percy sees nothing wrong with lying or cheating her way forward, especially if it helps her do other good things. She is well aware that her conduct isn’t always squeaky clean, but she has never claimed to be a moral paragon of virtue. She seeks wealth, that urchin mentality never quite leaving her. But it isn’t strictly about survival anymore. Financial security means just that: security. People with money don’t have to be afraid, don’t have to run. If you have enough money, eventually anyone chasing you can be paid off. Percy is a compulsive liar - it's not always rational, it just feels safer to not be honest. She feels best when people know absolutely nothing about her. Category:Player Characters Category:Golden Hope guild members